Deborah Kaye (Debbie) Allen was born on January 16, 1950 in Houston, Texas. She started dancing at a very young age, she wanted to take classes at the Houston Foundation for Ballet but was rejected for reasons he mom felt discriminatory. Debbie Allen was destined to be successful with her background, her father, Andrew Allen, a dentist and her mother, Vivian Ayers Allen, a Pulitzer Prize nominated poet. Debbie has a brother, Tex, who is a jazz musician, and her older sister Phylicia Rashad was the star of the Cosby Show as Claire Huxtable. So she knew she was destined for greatness. Allen began learning dance by studying privately with a former dancer from the Ballet Russes. As a child Debbie's mother made her do writing assignments to push creativity, and she washed and ironed her own clothes to learn independence. They didn't make much money in her household because her father was just beginning to start his dentistry practice, but it didn't stop them from helping pursue their children's dreams. In 1957 Debbie's parents got a divorce and in 1960 her mother then moved them to Mexico where she danced with the Ballet Nacional de Mexico. She then reauditioned for the Houston Foundation for Ballet in 1964, and this time was admitted on a full scholarship and became the company's first black dancer.
Debbie had to overcome a lot of obstacles growing up the one she comments on the most is the segregation in her society and at her school. She said "I grew up with water fountains at Woolworth's that said 'black' and 'white,'" she said in the Chicago Tribune. "I grew up not being able to go to the movie theater downtown; I grew up not being able to go to the amusement park, except one day a year; I grew up in a school system that was totally segregated." At 16 she auditioned for the North Carolina School of the Arts and was rejected because her body wasn't in the correct shape, and they wanted her to take modern classes instead. This comments was used for all of the blacks that auditioned Debbie said that "That experience taught me to overcome what may seem to be limitations." After her graduation she attended Howard University with her sister, and stopped dancing because she was too distraught from the North Carolina incident. Then a man approached her and asked her to dance with him and his encouraging words brought her dance life back. She graduated Cum Laude from Howard in 1971 with a degree in drama.
After that graduation she continued onto Broadway she then landed a role in 1972 in the chorus line of Purlie, then in A Raisin in the Sun as Beneatha. She stayed on the show for two years then went on to do commercials and series on television. She then got married in 1975 to Winfred Wilford but they later got divorced. She appeared on series such as Good Times and The Love Boat but then went back to Broadway. In 1980 Debbie landed the role as Anita in the revival of West Side Story earning her a Tony nomination. The same year she landed the role as Lydia Grant in the movie Fame. This really took her stardom the next level, she then continued to be Lydia Grant when the movie became a TV series. She won three Grammy Awards for choreography for the series. She then got married 1984 to NBA star Norman Nixon and they had two children Vivian Nichole and Norman Jr. In 1986. She also, landed the lead role as Charity in Bob Fosse's revival of Sweet Charity which won her a Tony Award. Debbie then moved on to directing, she directed shows such as A Different World, The Sinbad Show, The Jamie Foxx Show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire, Between Brothers, and Linc's, and shows centered around women's issues such as the television movie The Old Settler, and the ongoing series Cool Women, for the WE network. She also directed movies such as Disney's Polly and The Fantasia Barino Story as well as the Tony Nominated movie Amistad. Debbie also became the author of two childrens books, Brothers of the Knight and Dancing in The Wings.
In 1991 Debbie received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and went on to open the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in 2001, a non-profit studio where local children can take numerous classes including, jazz, hip hop, african, modern, and ballet. In that year she also won a Lifetime Achievement Award. She also directed an all black cast of Cat on the Hot Tin Roof. She holds executive position in organizations such as The American Association of Arts and Humanities where she travels across the world ensuring that children everywhere are exposed to arts. Then she made big comeback directing the new movieFame. She has choreographed for many stars including Michael Jackson , Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey , and numerous others. Debbie is an icon to everyone around the world, her work has made it possible for blacks to be dancers and actors. She's touched many people including myself and she will continue to reach out and inspire others.
Sources
Ebony, March 1983; March 1991.
Essence, March 1984; June 1990.
Glamour, March 1983.
Jet, May 15, 1986; July 31, 1989; October 28, 1991.
Deborah Kaye (Debbie) Allen was born on January 16, 1950 in Houston, Texas. She started dancing at a very young age, she wanted to take classes at the Houston Foundation for Ballet but was rejected for reasons he mom felt discriminatory. Debbie Allen was destined to be successful with her background, her father, Andrew Allen, a dentist and her mother, Vivian Ayers Allen, a Pulitzer Prize nominated poet. Debbie has a brother, Tex, who is a jazz musician, and her older sister Phylicia Rashad was the star of the Cosby Show as Claire Huxtable. So she knew she was destined for greatness. Allen began learning dance by studying privately with a former dancer from the Ballet Russes. As a child Debbie's mother made her do writing assignments to push creativity, and she washed and ironed her own clothes to learn independence. They didn't make much money in her household because her father was just beginning to start his dentistry practice, but it didn't stop them from helping pursue their children's dreams. In 1957 Debbie's parents got a divorce and in 1960 her mother then moved them to Mexico where she danced with the Ballet Nacional de Mexico. She then reauditioned for the Houston Foundation for Ballet in 1964, and this time was admitted on a full scholarship and became the company's first black dancer.
Debbie had to overcome a lot of obstacles growing up the one she comments on the most is the segregation in her society and at her school. She said "I grew up with water fountains at Woolworth's that said 'black' and 'white,'" she said in the Chicago Tribune. "I grew up not being able to go to the movie theater downtown; I grew up not being able to go to the amusement park, except one day a year; I grew up in a school system that was totally segregated." At 16 she auditioned for the North Carolina School of the Arts and was rejected because her body wasn't in the correct shape, and they wanted her to take modern classes instead. This comments was used for all of the blacks that auditioned Debbie said that "That experience taught me to overcome what may seem to be limitations." After her graduation she attended Howard University with her sister, and stopped dancing because she was too distraught from the North Carolina incident. Then a man approached her and asked her to dance with him and his encouraging words brought her dance life back. She graduated Cum Laude from Howard in 1971 with a degree in drama.
After that graduation she continued onto Broadway she then landed a role in 1972 in the chorus line of Purlie, then in A Raisin in the Sun as Beneatha. She stayed on the show for two years then went on to do commercials and series on television. She then got married in 1975 to Winfred Wilford but they later got divorced. She appeared on series such as Good Times and The Love Boat but then went back to Broadway. In 1980 Debbie landed the role as Anita in the revival of West Side Story earning her a Tony nomination. The same year she landed the role as Lydia Grant in the movie Fame. This really took her stardom the next level, she then continued to be Lydia Grant when the movie became a TV series. She won three Grammy Awards for choreography for the series. She then got married 1984 to NBA star Norman Nixon and they had two children Vivian Nichole and Norman Jr. In 1986. She also, landed the lead role as Charity in Bob Fosse's revival of Sweet Charity which won her a Tony Award. Debbie then moved on to directing, she directed shows such as A Different World, The Sinbad Show, The Jamie Foxx Show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire, Between Brothers, and Linc's, and shows centered around women's issues such as the television movie The Old Settler, and the ongoing series Cool Women, for the WE network. She also directed movies such as Disney's Polly and The Fantasia Barino Story as well as the Tony Nominated movie Amistad. Debbie also became the author of two childrens books, Brothers of the Knight and Dancing in The Wings.
In 1991 Debbie received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and went on to open the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in 2001, a non-profit studio where local children can take numerous classes including, jazz, hip hop, african, modern, and ballet. In that year she also won a Lifetime Achievement Award. She also directed an all black cast of Cat on the Hot Tin Roof. She holds executive position in organizations such as The American Association of Arts and Humanities where she travels across the world ensuring that children everywhere are exposed to arts. Then she made big comeback directing the new movie Fame . She has choreographed for many stars including Michael Jackson , Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey , and numerous others. Debbie is an icon to everyone around the world, her work has made it possible for blacks to be dancers and actors. She's touched many people including myself and she will continue to reach out and inspire others.
Sources
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